


The Honorable Thief

by ReaderandWriter



Category: El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Police, Alternate Universe - Thieves, Childhood Friends, Childhood Sweethearts, F/M, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-10-04 06:14:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17299301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReaderandWriter/pseuds/ReaderandWriter
Summary: At a young age Manny witnessed the murder of his family and was shipped to an orphanage where he was abused. But that was also where he met his best friends and discovered his calling as a thief who steals for honor. As a young man he becomes a skilled thief dead set on avenging his family's death while avoiding the capture of a young policewoman who happens to be his childhood sweetheart.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have two original characters in this. Their names are T.J and Andrea.

Miracle City at 12:00 am.

A van came driving down the road in a haste with police cars. Inside the van are two young men, the one driving the van is extremely large, muscular, and somewhat dorky looking. The other sitting in the passenger seat is very skinny but good looking and attractive.

"They're gaining on us man! Pick up the pace!" The skinny one said to the driver.

"I'm going as fast as I can!" The driver said.

CRASH!

"Oh man! Where did you learn to drive you maniac?!"

"Hey this isn't as easy as it looks! Is he still in there?" The driver asked.

"I don't know! Hey buddy what's happening?" The passenger said talking into a microphone. "Hey man don't mess with us! Are you there?! Answer me!"

At his words a third young man with rugged features and a charming exterior came running across the roof tops, jumps off, and just before he lands on the roof of the van everything freezes.

...

Hi sorry to interrupt the story but um I think that before you continue reading I need to explain some things so you'll understand it better. So I guess I should start by introducing myself. My name is Manny Rivera, I'm the guy who's running from the cops. No not the driver, no the guy on the left isn't me either. Look up I'm frozen in mid air at the moment. That's me, see I look nothing like those other guys. Much better looking. Anyway you're probably wondering what the heck is going on here right? Well to explain that I'll have to go to back to the very beginning.

Insert darkness and nothingness.

No, no, not the beginning of time! A little further.

Insert dinosuars.

No! Not when the dinosaurs were here! Okay a lot further.

Insert ending.

Not that far! Go back to the beginning! My beginning! My family's beginning! Geez who's running the flashbacks here? Okay now that we've got that settled I'm gonna start telling you the origins of this. It all started with my grandfather Jorge Rivera. A nice guy, good intentions, a little greedy and deceptive sometimes but..Okay a lot of times. Oh what the heck he was in the mafia so of course he'd be greedy and deceptive. What do you expect? Anyway my grandpa was the business partner of a very powerful mob boss. He called himself General Chapuza though I don't know why because he never fought in a war but those two pulled off hundreds of bank robberies, jewel hiests, and break ins. They were filthy rich and never got caught by the cops. But the two were getting older and they needed someone to carry on the business so they both got married to different women and had kids.

While General Chapuza's kids were excited about becoming mobsters my grandpa's son Rodolfo Rivera a.k.a my dad wasn't all for going into the family business. Actually Dad hated it all together and wanted nothing to do with it much to my grandpa's shame and disappointment. My dad wanted to do something honorable. Something for the people. So he joined the military and fought in Iraq where he saved fifty men from a bomb explosion unfortunately he got caught in the explosion and was in the hospital for months. That's where he met Nurse Maria Sanchez a.k.a my mom. Mom worked as a nurse for the red cross and was Dad's constant care giver while he recovered. Nutritng turned to friendship, friendship turned to love, and love turned to...Mom getting pregnant and Dad proposing.

When Dad recovered Mom begged him not to go back because she couldn't risk losing him especially now that she had a baby on the way. But my dad said he couldn't because he felt obliged by his honor and God to finish his mission and that was to infiltrate a shady group of men. Back in Iraq he exposed a huge terrorist plot with the purpose of blowing up Miracle City. When he came home he was given the medal of honor and would be known as Miracle City's greatest war hero. He then married Mom and I was born nine months later.

My childhood was interesting. I couldn't go to school because they would have to look into my background and if they found out my grandpa was a in the mafia it would land him in jail so I was homeschooled. Mom taught me all the academics, math, science, history, grammar, and her most favorite subject of all literature. In college she studied to be a teacher and a therapist, she was hoping to reform and re educate criminals but it didn't work out. My father wanted me to grow up to be a soldier like him while my grandfather wanted me to go into the mafia business. So after I finished my academic lessons with Mom, Dad began training me in hand to hand combat and agility, then Grandpapi would educate me on criminal records and conections, law enforcement schedules, and places that I could use as secret entrances and hiding spots.

They weren't your average, everyday, normal family but they loved me and took care of me so I didn't care. Our neighbors often whispered about Mom and Dad being unfit parents and Grandpapi abusing me but the truth was I was a very happy child. Key word WAS. You know some kids live happily with their family until they reached adulthood but that wasn't going to happen to me. I'll never forget it. To this day I can still remember every exact detail of that day. The day I lost everything.

It was my eighth birthday. My family always cancelled all my lessons on my birthday, my grandfather would buy me any expensive toy I had wanted, my mother would bake me the most delicious cake ever, and my father would rent me any action or horror movie I wanted from the store as long as he remembered to cover my eyes during the really scary or violent scenes. At the end of the day when I would go to bed my parents would tuck me into bed, Dad would read to me, and Mom would sing to me. This year my father had a very special birthday present for me.

"Can I open it now?" My eight year old self said shaking my wrapped up gift while pressing my ear against it as an attempt to figure out what it was.

"Be patient hijo." Dad said. "You can open your gift after dinner."

"And after you've had some birthday cake." Mom said.

After dinner she placed a square chocolate cake with blue frosting and eight birthday candles on the table. Dad lit the candles, then he, Mom, and Grandpapi sang the birthday song, a blew out my candles, and devoured as much cake as my mother would let me. Then Grandpapi gave me the new, expensive, toy laser gun I had been begging for all year followed by my special present from Dad. It was a belt with a buckle made of pure sliver with a T engraved, an antique.

"This belt has been in our family for generations." Dad said.

"What's the T stand for?" I asked.

"True strength and courage. Something that every member of our family has even your grandfather surprisingly."

"Hey!" My Grandpapi said.

"As long as you wear that belt you'll always be honorable and courageous. "

"It's so cool. I hope it fits." I put the belt on. It was a perfect fit, like it was made for me. "I'll never take it off. I swear."

The four of us then sat down together to watch the movie Dad rented. As usual five minutes into the movie Grandpapi passed out on the couch, Mom asked Dad repeatedly if I should be watching that movie, Dad assured her that I would be fine then shielded my eyes whenever the intense stuff came on. Finally when the movie was over like always Mom and Dad tucked me into bed, Dad read me a story, Mom sang me a lullaby, and they both kissed me goodnight before I fell asleep thinking that I was the luckiest boy in the whole world. Thinking that every birthday would be just like this one for the rest of my life. But I was wrong. So very wrong.

I woke up in the middle of night to hear someone knocking rapidly at the door.

"I'll get it!" I heard Grandpapi say. I listened to his footsteps as he went downstairs, I heard him open the door, and that's when it happened. I heard a gun shot which snapped me awake immediately. I got out of bed and went to see what was happening. Before I could even touch the door nob the door to my bedroom was opened by my mother. She grabbed me and put me in the closet of the hallway.

"Mommy what's going on?" I asked.

"Manny listen to me." She told me. "I need you to stay here and keep quiet."

"Why?"

"Just do it. Don't make a sound and don't come out of here no matter what." She looked like she was about to cry, like she was never going to see me again after this. She then hugged me and whispered. "No matter what happens Manny remember that we love you. That we'll always love you."

She gave me one last kiss before she closed the door. However I could still see through the cracks and I saw her and my father standing across from a group of people.

"Please! It's me and my father who ruined you! Do what you want to me! Kill me even! But please spare my wife! She's innocent!"

"How touching." I heard a sinister voice say. "You love her so much that you would die for her. Beat you wouldn't do the same for me!"

It happened so fast. A shot rang out, several shots. I heard my mother scream and watched my father struggle to fight them but in the end I saw both my parents fall. In that moment I couldn't move, I couldn't think, I could only sit there and watch and listen. It wasn't until they left that I heard my father say with his dying breath.

"Manny if you can hear me listen very carefully." He coughed. "Life is full choices and you'll have to make a lot of them to become the man you're meant to be and I know...I know your grandfather and I...Tried to force you into who you would be...You...You should choose who you are...But promise me something son...Promise me that no matter what path you choose, no matter what kind of man you become...Promise me that you'll be a man of honor and courage...Promise me."

I wanted to go to him so badly but I couldn't move. I could only say these words.

"I promise."

Hours passed and I remained frozen until at last the police arrived.

"Any surviors?" I heard one policeman ask.

"No the man, the woman, the old man, they're all dead."

I knew it was true but hearing the police confirm it finally made me break down in tears.

"Hey I think I heard something." The closet door was opened by a police officer. I recognized him as the Chief of police Emiliano Suarez. A big, tough, and scary looking man who was every criminals worst nightmare. "Oh my God there's a kid back here."

"Is he alive?" Another cop asked.

"Yeah though I don't know if he has any injuries. You hurt anywhere kid?"

I just shook my head. He had one tough exterior but I could tell by his eyes that he pitied me and wanted to help me.

"Come on kid let's get you cleaned up and something to eat huh?"

He picked me up and took me to the hospital to check for injuries. But my injuries weren't physical they were mental and no amount of medical help could heal those wounds.

What do you think? Should I continue this story?


	2. Chapter 2

I didn't say one word. Not during the car ride, not during the hospital examination, and not during the car ride back. If they asked questions which lucky for me were yes or no questions I just shook my head or nodded. After staying in the hospital for three days and after the doctor confirmed that I wasn't injured Emiliano took me back to the police station to decide what would happen to me.

Doing background checks they discovered that I had no living relatives so that meant I would have to go stay at the local orphanage. Before taking me there Emiliano took me back to my house so I could get some things like my clothes and tooth brush then he took me to get some breakfast since it was six o'clock in the morning. He took me to the local diner where he bought me an omelet with bacon, toast, and hot chocolate to drink. I was surprised that he was doing that for me. From what I knew he was about as mean and ill tempered as bull locked in a ring painted red. I guess he had a soft spot for kids. He understood that I didn't feel like talking so he didn't say anything to me. After I ate we got in his car and headed for the orphanage.

Then suddenly we heard gun shots coming from a store the sold jewelry and expensive metals. Emiliano pulled over and got out of the car to investigate.

"Stay here." He told me before leaving.

I had no intention of leaving. Those gunshots made me flash back to when I lost my parents and my grandfather. I was terrified, I couldn't move. If that wasn't enough to scare me then one of the thugs who came over to jack the car had me petrified.

"Keep your mouth shut kid! And I won't put a bullet through your head!" He snapped at me before throwing the bag containg his loot in the back. Two things spilled out from the bag and on to the car floor. A block of sliver and a hope diamond. I wasn't sure what was going to happen to me at this point but I knew if I made it out of here alive I would need money so as quickly and quietly as I could I slipped the sliver and the diamond into a secret compartment that I had in my backpack.

The thug started up the car. I froze, what was going to happen to me? What was he gonna do to me? Was he going to kill me? Was I going to die? I was so scared that I couldn't breathe. Then just as the car had taken off I saw Emiliano throw himself at the side of the car, sticking his arms through the window as he tried to strangle the driver.

"Pull over!" He denanded. "Now!"

"No way! I'm not going to jail!" He said slamming on the petal, making the car go faster but Emiliano wouldn't let go. He just held on to the window and ran with the car as fast as he could.

"Are you crazy man?! It's just some materials! You're going to kill yourself over that?!" The thug shouted.

"I don't care about the stuff you stole!" Emiliano shouted. "I want the boy in the car! Let him out!"

He then punched the driver in the face and started to climb through the window. The car swerved and crashed, Emiliano quickly grabbed me and covered my head so I wouldn't get hurt in the crash. Thankfully none of us were hurt and he ended up arrested. With that settled I was taken to the orphanage and well...It wasn't exactly home sweet home. For one thing I was the only kid there and the police didn't know but Miss Cleopatra the woman running the joint was abusive.

"Now listen carefully." She said harshly toward me. "You will not be coddled here. I am not your mother so do not expect any affection from me. You will do exactly I what I tell you. You will be given chores daily and if you refuse to do any of them or don't do them right then you will go in the hole."

"What's the hole?" I asked her.

"You'll find out eventually that is if you don't upset me."

The hole was a small, dark, and dirty room at the very bottom of the basement where there were no windows or other doors except for the one that she used to lock whoever she sent in there inside. I remember the first time she locked me in there. I accidentally broke a window while washing it and she started dragging me down there, threw me into the hole, and locked the door. Inside there was broken glass and a leaky pipes that squirted boiling hot steam. I had cut my hand on the broken glass and burned my arm on the steam but that heartless witch didn't care.

Everyday it was the same thing. I would wake up, spend the whole day doing chores that she gave me, spent like six hours in the hole if I ever made her angry, ate only one meal which was just bread crust, and then went to sleep on an old mattress that was torn and had springs sticking out. Then came the day when she decided to send me to school but only to avoid suspicion from the cops. I hated school worse because all the kids made fun of me. You see thanks to Miss Cleopatra not giving me soap to bathe with or feeding me properly I always came to school dirty and skinny so naturally I was a target for bullies. I know what you're thinking why didn't I just sell the sliver and diamond I swiped and use the money to buy the things I needed well the missing block of sliver and hope diamond were all over the news and I couldn't risk going to jail.

"This seat's taken." One of the boys on the bus told me.

"You can't sit here." Another boy said.

"Don't you dare sit next to me you dirtbag!"

"Loser!"

"Freak!"

"Piece of trash!"

I just kept walking and listening to their insults thinking that I wasn't worth spit. But that moment was when I heard the sweetest voice in the whole world.

"You can sit by me if you want." I looked up to my right to see a girl sitting alone at a seat. She was the same age as me, had blue hair which was usual but I didn't mind, and she wore a red and white dress.

"Ah...Uh...I...Uh...Ah."

"Are you going to sit down or just stand there and keep blumbering?" She asked me.

"Yes! No...Wait! I..I...I mean yes! I'll sit down!"

Okay back then I didn't really know how to talk to girls. In fact she was the first girl who had ever talked to me so I was a little tongue tied.

"You got a name?" She asked me.

"Ma...Manny." I told her. "Manny Rivera."

"I'm Frida. I heard what those jerks said to you. If you want I can beat them up for you."

"No! Don't do that! Believe me all the older boys will crack down hard on me if a girl fights my battles."

"I understand, boys can be stupid no offense."

"None taken."

"So have you made any friends here?"

"I don't have any friends."

"Well you do now."

"You actually want to be friends?"

"Sure why not?"

"Don't you think I'm dirty?"

"Yeah but it's not your fault. I know all about Miss Cleopatra, I had friend who used to live with her before she was adopted. I know what she does. I've told the police but they don't believe me."

"Why?"

"Well I've had a bit of lying problem in the past so yeah."

"Why are you being so nice to me."

"I was told that you don't have a family anymore and if you live with Miss Cleopatra then I know you're miserable so I thought maybe you could use a friend."

She and I were always together after that. During school we had the same classes and we usually spent our time goofing off and playing pranks on some of the teachers. After school when Miss Cleopatra was thinking that I was cleaning out the basement I would sneak out the window and we would meet at the park where we would climb trees, chase each other, and sometimes just sit out and watch the stars. Other times we would go to the ice cream shop, the arcade, and sneak into the movie theater to see horror and action films that we were too young to see. She would bring me soap, a comb, sandwhiches, and anything else I needed that Miss Cleopatra failed to provide for me. She never took me to see her family because she said her father didn't like her playing with boys and because she didn't want her sisters to tease her about me being her boyfriend. I was an only child but I had always wanted brothers and sisters.

Some nights when I would have nightmares or when I would get real scared I would sneak over to her house and she would let me sleep in bed with her. Don't worry all we did was sleep, remember we were just kids, we hadn't hit puberty yet. But I always had to leave at six because that's when her folks got up and according to her if her father ever found me in bed with her he would kill me. Even if it was just harmless sleeping. If it wasn't late when I came over we would watch movies, read, and sometimes she would sing to me like my mother used to do.

"What was it about this time?" She asked me one night as we laid in her bed together.

"It was about the night I lost my parents and my grandpa."

"That must've been so scary for you. I'm really sorry."

"Why did they do it? Why did they have to take my mom, dad, and my grandpa away from me?"

"It's just what bad people do I guess."

"It's not fair."

"I know but like my dad always says life isn't fair."

"Frida?"

"Yes?"

"I'm scared."

"Of your nightmare?"

"No I'm scared that one day someone's gonna take you away from me just like they took my family."

"No one's gonna take me away from you. Wanna know how I know?"

"How?"

"Because we're close. Mom says when two people are close they'll always find each other no matter what so if we ever get separated we'll always find each other."

She put her hand in mind, we both smiled at each other, and then we fell asleep. For once since I had lost my family I was happy. She made my life at that orphanage bearable and I had hoped that we would be together forever. Until we turned thirteen, that was when her folks decided send her along with her sisters to a boarding school. She told me that she'd runaway and live with me but I didn't want her to leave behind her family. Not when she still had one.

During the last few weeks we had, we spent as much time together as possible. We did all our favorite things like reading, climbing trees, pulling pranks, listening to music, and doing dangerous but fun stunts. We went to our favorite places like the movie theater, the aracade, the ice cream shop, and the carnival. We slept together every night of the last week. On the day she had to leave it was very sad for us.

"I'm really going to miss you." I told her.

"I'm going to miss you too." She said.

"I got you something so you don't forget me."

I gave her a bundle of rags. She unwrapped it and what she found inside made her speechless for a moment. One time when Miss Cleopatra wanted me to use a hammer to break cinder block as a punishment for waking her up I had accidentally hit my backpack with the hammer, shattering the hope diamond in the process. But one part of it managed to stay in one piece and it was in the shape of a perfect heart. To this day I'll never know how that happened but since it was in a different shape the police would never suspect.

"Do you like it?" I asked her.

"It's beautiful, I love it. But where did you get it?"

"Uh...Trade secret. But it matches your eyes and your hair."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. This is just for being my first...And only friend."

"Oh Manny."

She threw her arms around me and hugged me close. I hugged her back. Then she did something totally unexpected. She kissed me! Right on the lips! I couldn't believe it, a girl actually kissed me.

"Sorry I meant to kiss you on the cheek." She said blushing.

"Uh...Uh..." I was blushing too.

"It's not what you think! I...I...I don't even like boys like that."

"That's...Okay. Uh...I'm glad you like your gift."

"Yeah I'll keep it with me forever. Oh and I almost forgot to give you this." 

She handed me a small wrapped up present.

"What's this for?" I asked her.

"It was your birthday last week. I know you don't like to celebrate it because it reminds you of that day but...I think everyone deserves a present on thier birthday. I hope you like it."

"Frida! Time to go!" Her mother called.

"Goodbye Manny."

"Bye Frida."

She gave me another hug then went too join her mother in the car with her sisters. As the car drove away she stuck her head out the window, smiling and waving at me. I smiled and waved at her back, I didn't stop until I couldn't see her anymore. All too soon she was gone and I was left alone again.

When I got back to my room I opened my present. It was a picture frame that held a photograph of us at the carnival we went to last week. We were sitting on top of the boardwalk, watching the fireworks together. Frida wanted to savor this so she asked a guy to take our picture. I tried to beat him up when he teased us about being a couple. I smiled as I looked at the picture. I was going to miss her so much and I that she was gone I would never have another friend.

Or so I thought...


End file.
